While the passes of the island were in the state which I have described, a native peon arrived with a letter from Garcia de Sousa for the great Afonso Dalboquerque; wherein he informed him that the people who composed the besieging force of the Hidalcão were very numerous, and fresh supplies of men were coming up to swell its numbers every day; and that the soldiers who were on guard at the passes were very few, and although he had some native troops with him it was not right for him to put any trust in them, seeing that if they could turn traitors to their own fellow countrymen and their own sects, as they had done, they would be much more likely also to act in a similar manner towards the Christians: and that since they had not sufficient forces wherewith to withstand the Hidalcão's entry into the island, he was of opinion that his Lordship ought to order all who were engaged in defending the passes to withdraw into the fortress, in order that by fortifying themselves in it very strongly with barricades they might successfully oppose the power of the Hidalcão, who was coming against them; and that the fleet which was stationed in the river was sufficient for defending their passage and covering their re-embarkation, and thus everything would be arranged in a secure position.